Fastest Way to a Flat Stomach After Pregnancy

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SARAH SMENYAK Last Updated: Sep 11, 2017

Sarah Smenyak

Sarah Smenyak has a Master of Science degree in counseling and human services from Indiana University. She has been a contributor to gnmparents.com and uses her experiences as an educator, a parent, a long-time runner and coach to encourage others in their mental and physical health goals.

It's only natural to want to jump straight back to your pre-pregnancy body. But give yourself a break! Your body just made a baby, and it will need time to recover and get back in shape.

The fastest way to a flat stomach after pregnancy is through healthy nutrition, getting adequate sleep, breastfeeding, exercise and decreasing stress. Giving your body a little time along with understanding more about how these health habits can play a role in getting that flat belly back.

1. Get Adequate Sleep

Easier said than done, right? It’s challenging to get adequate sleep with a newborn, but as your little one allows you to sleep more it is extremely important for your long-term heath, plus, has a positive affect on maintaining healthy weight and weight loss.

A 2005 study in the journal SLEEP found that those who slept at least seven hours every night are less likely to be obese. Many of those reasons being that sleep affects many hormones in our body, one big one being cortisol. Take advantage of nights you can get more sleep, because your body needs it!

2. Breastfeed Your Baby

If it works for both you and your baby, breastfeeding is a great way to burn extra calories and bond with your baby. Especially in those first months after giving birth, breastfeeding can greatly improve weight loss.

3. Eat Healthy and Nourish Your Body

Limit your intake of sugary/starchy foods (sweets, grains, breads and fake sugars). Sugar causes inflammation in the body, and gluten and possibly dairy for many can cause bloating, slowing down the return of your flat belly.

Inflammation can affect your metabolism and hormones so decreasing those inflammatory foods can help speed up your progress. In addition, follow these other healthy eating tips:

Hydrate (aim for at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water, much more if breastfeeding)

Once you get the OK from your doctor, get your body moving!
Photo Credit
Knocked Up Fitness/Core Athletica Inc.

4. Move Your Body

Get out and move your body! Exercise is great for decreasing stress, and decreasing stress can also make losing weight easier. The key is choosing exercises that makes you feel more energized afterwards, while avoiding workouts that zap your energy.

All of these muscles need to work together for optimal function of your core. Focusing on re-strengthening your core postpartum, even before starting “abdominal” exercises, is something you can practice throughout your day while sitting, standing and exercising. Follow these tips:

Stand, sit and move with your core. Engage you abs during everyday activities.

Lengthen tall through the top of your head (ie. maintain good posture) to strengthen your core and help flatten your belly postpartum.

Warnings

Before you start exercising again, make sure you get the go-ahead from your doctor to resume physical activity. This usually occurs around your six-week postpartum check-up, though it can take longer if you had any complications during delivery.

5. Decrease Stress

Your sleep, nutrition, exercise and hormones all play have a role in your stress. This is why all these components are very important in health. Keeping stress levels low can drastically improve ease of weight loss after pregnancy. Just think how much better you'll feel, too!

In moments of stress, stop, close your eyes, and take in five or more slow deep breaths.

Breathe into your ribcage and back slowly for six to eight counts.

Exhale all your air out slowly for six to eight counts to instantly decrease some stress.

Always listen to your body, if something feels off it probably is. Take a look over your sleep, nutrition and exercise habits and see where you can start implementing small changes to see big improvements and be on your way back to that flat stomach after pregnancy.